


A Little Chat part 2: Belle's Reaction

by Polerfan1986



Series: A little chat Series [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Belle and Rumple have a heart to heart, Belle confronts Emma about blackmailing Rumple, Belle's reaction to Rumple's talk, F/M, Sweetness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-06 14:10:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6757327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polerfan1986/pseuds/Polerfan1986
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So this is part two of A Little Chat, Belle’s reaction, Belle considers Rumple's words, she receives a message and has a confrontation with Emma over her blackmailing Rumple to take her to the underworld, we also see what is running through Rumple's mind since he spoke to Belle and Belle and Rumple have a much needed heart to heart about things. I was considering just keeping this totally angsty the whole way through but I think maybe we’ve all had enough of the Rumbelle angst in the show especially lately and need something a little bit more lighthearted and hopeful.  If nothing else I can give my own versions of Belle and Rumple some happiness which lets face it is something they haven't had on the show for a few seasons now.  I can't express enough that since season 4 the OUAT writers have done both Rumple and Belle absolutely no justice at all either as individual characters or as a couple.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Chat part 2: Belle's Reaction

Belle remained seated in silence for fully fifteen minutes after Rumple left the house. So many things were running through her mind the baby, Zelena, Hades, Baelfire, and Rumple hurt and deliberately distancing himself from her again just as he had right before he turned her out of his castle so many years before. Only now things were worse because by using the dagger against him not just once but three times she had rendered herself no better than Zelena and by abandoning him twice she had made herself no better than Milah and Cora.  
She had done to him what she had sworn never to do, every promise she had ever made to him about loving him and every reassurance she had ever given him that she was not like the other women he had loved and subsequently been wounded by she had since torn asunder. She brought her hands up to her face as her thoughts caused her to sob. 

They should have been celebrating, glad to be safely home the three of them and the contract on the baby torn up, but things were in such a sad, sorry state between them, and it was largely due now to her own actions, she knew that her going behind his back to Zelena had been the last straw. In seeking advice and taking it from the woman who locked him in a cage in the dark and tormented him for a year and killed his son, she had wounded her husband very deeply, his trust in her was most likely broken she thought sadly and he had pulled away from her. She saw the box on the mantelpiece out of the corner of her eye, Pandora’s Box and she was reminded of the very first time she had ever encountered it back in the enchanted forest when she was still living in Rumple’s castle. 

An old friend of hers named Samuel came into possession of the box and had been sent by her father to trap Rumple in it and rescue her. He tricked her into allowing him entry to the castle, and it was only when she found his notebook that she realised her “friend” had been planning on controlling Rumple and using him to plunder the enchanted forest. Even then she had been so caught up with notions of heroism that she tried to lead Samuel from the castle but Rumplestiltskin had returned home and Samuel hadn’t been seen or heard from since. It made her think of recent events with Gaston as well “So much for my judgement of people’s characters” she muttered to herself “I’m Belle, anyone can pull the wool over my eyes.”

This brought her back to the subject of Rumple’s magic, why couldn’t she accept that side of him now, when she had once no twice before. She knew she had accepted him as Lacey, all of him warts and all, Rumple had made a point of telling her that today and she had been filled in on the rest of the details long ago by Baelfire after her real memories had been returned and she also remembered telling Bae before they resurrected Rumple in the enchanted forest “I love him all of him, including the parts that belong to the darkness”. She had always believed that love was layered, a mystery to be uncovered and Rumple well he had so many layers to him, the man was practically an onion.

Then she realised the error of her words, Rumple didn’t belong to the darkness it wasn't that simple anymore, the darkness was so long a part of him that it belonged to him now as much as he to it, he could use it and control it in a way no other ever had before him or since. He could and did use it to do acts of goodness in fact some of the best deeds he had ever done he had done as the dark one in full possession of his magic, there could be no question of that. So caught up in her thoughts was she that Belle almost didn’t hear the knocking on the front door, she wasn’t really in the mood for company now so whoever it was would be sent swiftly on their way. 

When she opened the door however, she was greeted by fresh air “someone playing a prank” she said to herself but as Belle moved to close the door she looked down and there at her feet was Henry’s book lying closed with a bookmark sticking out from the top corner. Intrigued she knelt down to pick the book up, looking up and down the street as she did but there was no sign of anyone around so she brought it inside. She went to the living room and placed it on the coffee table opening it to the marked page that someone clearly wanted her to see. It showed images of Rumple and Emma in the pawnshop and the story beneath it told how Emma had asked him to meet her at the shop and then subsequently blackmailed him by threatening to tell Belle that he was the dark one again if he didn’t take her to the underworld to retrieve Hook, she read on seeing the aftermath of Hades arrival in Storybrooke before she had been woken from the sleeping curse.

Belle sat for a moment absorbing every detail on the pages, her fingers lightly touching the pages, grazing over the images of her husband's face before she stood and closed the book with a thud. She went to cupboard in the kitchen and grabbed her keys, pulled her coat on, lifted the book from the table and headed out of the house, the Cadillac was sitting in the driveway, Rumple must had left it there in case she needed it and walked back to the shop. It seemed there were a few things in Storybrooke that needed nipped in the bud and they were going to be nipped today. Ten minutes later Belle pulled up outside Granny’s Diner and saw Emma through the window eating lunch, “perfect, right where I want you” she said to herself. As soon as Belle entered the Diner, she was struck by the smell of food cooking and her appetite returned with a vengeance, “Granny can I order a few things to go please?” she asked. As soon as her order had been taken she turned and approached Emma who upon looking up and seeing her immediately asked “Belle, how are you?”. Belle’s only response was to take Henry’s book out from under the folded coat in her arms and drop it on to the table opened at the marked pages for the sheriff to see. 

Emma visibly paled “Where did you get this from?”

"Someone left it right outside my front door marked at these exact pages so that I would see them” Belle replied. I can’t believe that I was silly enough to put myself in the position that people around here, that you Sheriff thought you could use me against my husband like a weapon, you thought that you could threaten him with me, his own wife, how naïve have I been that you thought you could get away with that, that you thought I would take your side over his without question."

“Please Belle, can we talk about this somewhere else, in my office maybe?” Emma began, people in the diner were staring at them now and hanging on every word, which is exactly what Belle wanted, word would get around the whole town soon enough. 

“No, Emma I don’t want to hear it and I am certainly not going to your office, you and Hook are the reason we all ended up in the underworld in the first place because you blackmailed Rumple by threatening to destroy our marriage to take you to the underworld so you could bring back a man who has tried to kill me twice and you didn’t care who got hurt along the way, as long as you and yours were safe that was all that mattered to you, everyone else was expendable right? Some saviour you are Emma Swan, you're no better than Hades, he only took up blackmailing Rumple were you left off."

"What was it all for Emma, you didn’t even manage to bring Hook back with you, you had to leave him behind, so blackmailing Rumple got you nowhere and you know what I’m so glad for that.” Emma had a look of horror on her face and tears were welling in her eyes. “Don’t you dare insult me by crying now” Belle snapped at her “I read further on through the book before I came here, not one of you cared enough about me to even look for me or check up on me after we separated in the underworld, I was only down the street from you in the shop and when Hades brought you Rumple’s ransom note and you found out I was pregnant not one of you even blinked twice about it, Regina actually encouraged Zelena to go to Hades, what is wrong with her? "

“Rumple has always been loyal to me, even with his curse memories, in all his 28 years in this town he never took up with another woman, he never turned on me to side with someone else even when he told me to leave his castle in the enchanted forest, he still loved me and I was going back to him when Regina abducted me and if he had known that I was alive and held prisoner by her he would have brought her palace down around her head and took me home to the dark castle with him. Yet I have constantly sided with other people against him time and time again, people who masquerade as friends but really couldn’t care less about me or him, well no longer."

"I won’t be used by you or your family for information or as leverage against Rumple anymore if you want information about anything in future look for it yourself, I assume you do know how to use the library?" she snapped sarcastically "and don’t any of you bother coming near the shop unless your actually going to buy something or pay your rent and when we say we’re closed, we’re closed, I won't tolerate anymore of the constant demanding intrusions from you or the others into mine and Rumple's time together. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to go and see my husband, I need to speak to him, I’ll take that order to go now Granny” she said turning away from Emma. Granny nodded wordlessly handing a bag off to Belle as she left the diner and headed towards the pawnshop.

Meanwhile Rumple was in the backroom of the shop tinkering with an old clock which had been brought in, there was also a candelabra which needed to be polished if he wanted to get a good price for it. He had summoned his spinning wheel and was planning on camping out in the back room of his shop for the next few hours. His talk with Belle was still fresh in his mind and as much as he loved her he had no intention of returning home and turning lovey dovey with her, no not after this, if he wanted his words to hit home with Belle then he needed to be firm and not give in like he had before and that’s exactly what would happen if he went home and took one look at her.

He refused to capitulate to her anymore, he was done feeling like he was being beaten into submission not to use his magic. Anyway if Belle wanted and was ready to make amends he knew she would come to him, more than that he needed her to come to him, he wanted so badly to be the man to use the dagger for good, he wanted to be that man for Belle, but first she would have to swallow her pride and come to him and make things right between them again. 

He remembered the incidents with Belle’s “friend” Samuel who tricked Belle and tried to use Pandora’s box to capture him until he banished him to a swamp and Robin Hood stealing the bow from the dark castle and how he had called Belle a foolish, gullible girl who filled her head with too many poisonous thoughts about heroism from her books and she had proven his words to be right ever since.

It made his head spin at how fast she allowed others to take advantage of her, to use her and how quickly she would listen to the advice of those who couldn’t care less about her, those who would try to harm both her and himself or use her against him, yet she wouldn’t listen to him, he who loved the very ground she walked on as she well knew because she used it to manipulate him and wrap him around her little finger often enough. He knew he was far from perfect at the best of times but by god belle was impulsive and had never even given him a chance to explain anything or even get a word in edgeways it was always her way or the highway. 

He shook his head and sat at his spinning wheel, needing to spin, the more he thought on what she had done the more heart sore and soul weary he became, he found himself needing to spin, to clear his mind and escape from everything around him for a while, lest his temper boil over and he should find himself needing to file a claim for insurance for the shop tomorrow morning because he destroyed it in a fit of rage today. There was a knock on the shop door not ten minutes later, “sod off we’re closed” he shouted to which the knocking promptly stopped.

The sound of the bell ringing and the smell of food had him out of his seat in seconds and emerging from behind the curtain prepared to yell whoever it was right back out of the shop when he saw Belle standing at the counter. She placed a cup of coffee and a burger on the counter in front of him, his head snapped up and his eyes were fixed on her. “A peace offering” she said quietly “I thought if we’re going to do this we should do it right and start over again with a reminder of our first proper date in Storybrooke, once we finally managed to get around to it without any interruptions that is” she said with the beginnings of a small smile on her face as she set her own burger and lemonade out as well.

“You were right she said, “the way I was behaving towards you that wasn’t fair and its gone on too long, I've been like a spoiled brat kicking and screaming to get its own way and I was naïve about a lot of things and even a bit selfish. I was expecting you to bend over backwards, to go out of your way to accommodate me and do things my way all the time, and deny your magic, something that’s been in your life for so long that it’s become a part of you, that wasn’t true love that was just me trying to change you into something you’re not, to reject part of yourself, to suit me and my ideals of heroism."

“I wasn’t willing to meet you halfway or change my own attitude at all, I just tried to manipulate and control you to get my way instead." She breathed a deep sigh and continued "yes you lied to me and more than once but my reactions were over the top, I should have heard you out at least and maybe I could have helped you find another way to free yourself from the dagger. I never should have abandoned you or ever used the dagger on you especially after Zelena and what happened to you and Baelfire, no one should ever have that kind power over another, it isn't right."

"I should have known that you were traumatised after that experience and terrified of anyone else getting a hold of the dagger and using it to control you and that’s why you tried to separate yourself from it. That was a big mistake on my part, you could have handled things better but so could I. I shouldn’t have blamed you for Gaston either that was my fault, I used the dagger on you again and I pushed him into the river and I know my going to Zelena must have hurt you, after what she did to you and Bae and yes the sleeping curse risked making things even worse so I understand your anger and I don’t blame you, if the situation was reversed and you did those things to me, I would be absolutely livid with you." 

“I don’t expect you to forgive me right away, I’ll understand if you need time, but there is one thing that I have to reproach you for and that is that when you said you loved me you also said that you loved that dagger.”

He sighed and walked around the counter to stand right in front of her and placed his hands gently on her shoulders, his deep brown eyes looking at her intently. “Belle, my relationship with the dagger is complicated at best, it is both the source of my power and the bane of my existence because I’m addicted to the power it gives me, power that I craved even when I was just a humble spinner. I told you I love this dagger but I also hate it because of the hold it has on me, it can rip my free will from me and render me no better than a dog on a leash waiting for its master’s command and I hate it because of the wedge that it drives between us."

“You my darling Belle are a completely different matter” he said as he drew her into his arms nuzzling her face and hair and breathing in the scent of roses from her, "I was indeed hurt by your actions but sweetheart I love you entirely and unconditionally, I always have. I tried to hide it back then and keep a distance between us but I have loved you from the moment I first saw you in your father’s castle, in fact, truth be told my dear as soon as you said I had your word I was a goner and I knew it.” 

At that remark Belle began to giggle and cuddled into his chest wrapping her arms around him as tightly as she could, both of them had tears running down their faces. “I admired you that day for your courage and selflessness in making that deal with me, for not asking anything for yourself and for agreeing to go with me and I have admired you for it every day since. I need you if I am ever to truly overcome this addiction, I need you with me all the way. If I am to wield the dagger for good, as Merlin said, if I am to be the one who can use the darkness for light, amidst all the darkness of my life you were always my flicker of light Belle, will you be my guiding light and my courage now sweetheart and help me to find the way.”

“Of course I will if that is what you truly want, I love you all of you the man and the beast, the dark and the light, I am with you, all the way, I will help you as best I can to use the darkness for light, to use the dagger for good but I won't try to coerce you or manipulate you into it. If you are going to do things that way I will be your light in the darkness to help keep you on the right path and together we will find the way because we have true love and true love conquers all but it has to be your choice and yours alone with no manipulation, coercion or blackmail from me or anyone else.” She sighed against him.

"we'll take each day as it comes" he said and then he hesitated for a moment and asked "You remember what I said to you today about heroism?"

"yes" she replied, it isn't always possible to be a hero I know that now and your right, despite a person's best intentions, in the heat of the moment they will do whatever it takes to protect the ones they love."

“They say the path of true love never runs smoothly” he observed. 

“yes they do but in future we will make an effort to make the road a little less bumpy for each other, deal?” She asked him with a cheeky smile.

“Oh sweetheart you’ve got yourself a deal” he replied as they hugged each other tightly. “Oh I may have had words with Emma at the diner before I came here, I may as well tell you before you hear it from the local gossips” she said suddenly a smug look on her face “and I think Regina tried to make amends with me today and get back at Emma for what happened in the aftermath of Hades coming to Storybrooke at the same time.” 

“Oh” he said moving towards their lunch and watching her, his eyebrows raised and a sly smile on his face as he pushed her burger and lemonade towards her and made to start on his own food as well “well I’m all ears dearie, do tell”

“well” she said between bites of her burger “it started with a message in a book.”

**Author's Note:**

> So they didn't have iced tea this time because Belle is pregnant and I've heard and read that it isn't good for a pregnant woman to drink it, so that's why I changed it to coffee for Rumple and lemonade for Belle if anyone is wondering.


End file.
